Table of contents for No. 180 in AUTO & DESIGN

Jean-Pierre Ploué, head of the PSA Peugeot Citroën Style Centre, has been able to avail himself of the services since 4 January of two new styling heads for the two group brands. Gilles Vidal (left in the photo) has been appointed head of the Peugeot Style Centre, where he was already responsible for Concept Cars. Aged 37 and a graduate of the Vevey (Switzerland) Art Center College of Design, he joined PSA in 1996 and worked for a number of years for the Citroën brand; since the beginning of 2009 he has contributed to Peugeot’s new styling philosophy. Thierry Metroz (right), new Citroën design chief, is a newcomer to the brand. A graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des métiers d’Art (ENSAAMA), Metroz, 46, left Renault…

Low, red and streamlined with a truly sporty set-up and attitude, the FT-86, presented by Toyota at the last Tokyo Show, is Japanese through and through. And yet it was designed in Europe by the designers at ED2, the advanced research centre whose offices are in southern France and which celebrates its tenth birthday in February. “Our role is to supply design proposals for the production line, particularly as regards the European market, and to carry out experimental activities, as in the case of this concept car”, explains Ryoji Okazaki, Chairman of Toyota Europe Design Development (ED2). The result is not, however, completely “experimental”. Even though it’s a showcar, the FT-86 is in fact very similar to an upcoming production model that will be produced in cooperation with Subaru, suppliers…

“Sonique is a project that we have spent a lot of time and effort on, making full use of our skills in design in the most complete sense of the word – by which I mean a combination of style and engineering.” As he admires the latest of his creations, Carlo Angiono tells the story of the company he founded in Turin in 1983 together with his brother Roberto, managing director and Carlo’s right hand man, and a third partner (now the Swiss Rieter group). “I had gained experience working at UTS in the Fiat Group, so we initially started off as an engineering services company, hence the name Autostudi.” Carlo Angiono still keeps the drafting machine he used back then to plot the outlines and plans for his company’s…

Sustainable design, new technologies and clean energy. These are the key points of a project that has involved the led company of Barcelona, the Capmar company (manufacturer of urban furniture) and Emt, the Barcelona public transport operator. The first year students of industrial and transportation design of the Catalan school have conceived and developed a public transport stake that is self-fuelled by solar energy and fitted with an IT system updated every 30 seconds. Its structure is a frame (67 cm x 3.5 m) made up of square section posts the inside of which contains the solar supply panel (67x72 cm), the digital screens, the switch that controls night-time lighting and, in the lower part, a wooden seat. This is the first solar energy bus stop installed in Spain. In…

In an era of cost optimisation and platform sharing, details have taken on a key role in determining the choices of the consumer, and the job of the designer is becoming increasingly strategic in importance. With no structural, technological or mechanical differences to distinguish them, one could even mistake cars from rival brands for one another if it were not for the details. In the world of product design, this phenomenon is even more widespread. Electrolux, Sony, Philips and Nokia produce practically identical products that differ only in purely aesthetic details. The clothes we wear, the objects we surround ourselves with and the car we drive all convey something about ourselves. Brand preference is never by chance and the companies know it. There is a sort of mathematical formula explaining…

There is a reason why Chevrolet has chosen the name Spark for its compact successor to the Matiz: this is the first ultra-compact model developed entirely in-house (the Matiz was penned by Giugiaro). Built in Korea as a 5-door variant only, it is the logical evolution of the three prototypes presented in 2007 at the Los Angeles motor show. Measuring 3.64 metres in length, with a wheelbase of 2.37 metres (one of the longest in its class) and standing 1.55 metres tall, the car is built on an all-new platform and is powered by a choice of new Euro5 petrol engines – a 1.0 and a 1.2 producing 68 and 81 bhp respectively – which are also offered as petrol-LPG dual fuel versions. “We took a slightly revolutionary approach in…

It would certainly be better for the image of Japan’s motor industry if the 2009 Tokyo show had simply been cancelled. What actually took place in just one hall of the Makuhari Messe was embarrassing for the Japanese, and caused many visitors to pity, rather than admire, Japanese manufacturers. When Hyundai cancelled at the eleventh hour, the only international elements present were German BMW tuner Alpina, British sports car specialist Caterham and Lotus. A great deal of space was taken up by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of schoolchildren’s naïïve car drawings. More was taken up by extra-wide aisles between exhibits, by a “lounge” area, and by a boring exhibit of old Japanese cars and overhead posters of Japan Car of the Year winners from the dim, dark past up to now.…

There is no better way to understand the best in American vehicle design than to take a close look, not at the products of American industry, but at the superb work passionate Americans do for themselves, whether it be on cars, boats or airplanes. The world knows of the huge productive capacity of America’s industry. It also knows that typical American cars are most often carelessly assembled, sloppily trimmed and really rather shabby. But there is also a long national tradition of creation and transformation of mass-produced vehicles, and nowhere is it more clearly illustrated than in gatherings of enthusiasts. Two of the most impressive are the annual speed weeks on the Bonneville salt flats for cars, and the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Airventure summer meeting in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Auto &…

Pygmy by Vasily Kurkov is a metallic green mini-jeep that has stirred up a storm of interest on numerous automotive blogs. Its bold face and unusual porthole rear window certainly got this provocative little car with a big personality noticed. In direct contrast, Biov by Roberto Testolin is a minimalist, understated city car which, with competitive pricing, would aim to knock the Smart off the microcar throne. These are the two proposals selected from the creations of the 37 second year students at IED in Turin and translated into 1:4 scale models by Cecomp. They are the result of a project hypothesising an alliance between Fiat and Chrysler proposed by the school before any official announcement of such a merger had been made. This academic exercise consisted in combining the…

For the past few years, we have been exposed to an overabundance of so-called design founded on decorative flourishes and excessively elaborate forms. From what we have seen at the international IMM expo in Cologne – together with recent signs in home décor and lifestyle trends – it is interesting to analyse how a new approach to design could bring a healthy breath of fresh air. According to market analysts, some form of rehabilitation – starting again from a clean slate – will be the inevitable reaction to the global crisis. This will entail looking at form from an experimental perspective and taking eco-trends into account. The expected outcome of this is a design with a more human side, or a way of thinking design that translates into more conceptual…

Much more space, attractive styling and a comfortable cabin appointed like a proper car. The only thing carried over in the new Doblò from its predecessor is the name. Everything else has changed both inside and out, and even the platform is new, which is now a widened version of the platform underpinning the Punto Evo. Peter Jansen, design chief for the Fiat Professional brand, explains that a project for a vehicle like this has to respond to the needs of groups of persons, not just a single individual. The goal of the designers was therefore to achieve as much interior space as possible, “for a seven-seater that is suitable for long journeys, nimble in the city and capable of transporting objects that would not normally fit in a car”,…

Space, versatility and eleganssce come together in what Skoda calls “The top of the class”, the Superb Wagon, which now joins the existing saloon. This is a multifunctional car with a hint of the coupé about it, with premium solutions intended to make the car as easy as possible to live with. The design team headed by Jozef Kaban, who answers to Volkswagen Group design director Walter de’ Silva, has completed the aesthetic journey that began with the saloon, developing an effective and attractive formal solution for the tail, with a roofline that joins a steeply raked rear screen. The result is a dynamic look that contrasts the car’s substantial size: 4.84 metres in length, 1.82 m in width and 1.48 m tall, to be precise. Meanwhile, the rear pillars,…

The name is a romantic tribute to Alfa Romeo in its centenary year: Giulietta, a historic citation of the Fifties’ model that has cast its spell over generations of fans. The design of the new Alfa due to début in Geneva in March, however, has absolutely nothing retro about it. The work of the Alfa Romeo Style Centre under Chris Reitz, this replacement of the 147 continues the formal, technological direction that began with the super-coupé 8C Competizione. All Alfa’s traditional styling cues are there, starting with the trilobe marking the front. This time the triangular shield is set in the surface of the bumper and seems to float with respect to the two lower air intake whiskers. As is traditional, the two diverging ribs that bolster the bonnet start…

The modern Japanese car industry is now more than half a century old but who knows the background of its design? Only insiders are aware that American influences on the one hand, but also most of the Italian design houses, have played their part. But as for individual makes such as Nissan a detailed investigation of their design roots would have made sense and that is what the Hirtasuka City Museum of Art did in a dedicated exhibition in October last year. Not only did the museum show some of Nissan’s most renowned models, it also displayed so far unknown renderings and scale models of early Nissan models, as well as those of the former Datsun brand and those of the independent Prince Skyline company which was absorbed by Nissan…

An imposing, strong face like that of an SUV, flanks with a dynamic air and a tail reminiscent of certain well-known city cars inspired by product design. There is something familiar in the forms and proportions of the Sonique. This is a tiny little car that thinks big – and does it so convincingly that at first glance, you almost forget that this is not a ‘real’ car but a microcar. “When the manufacturer Grecav gave us this project, they asked us to look to car design and to interpret its current trends,” confirms Carlo Angiono, president of Autostudi, whose style centre gave shape to the Sonique. This two-seater vehicle, for which the definition ‘quadricycle’ seems almost derogatory (even though that is how it is classified by legislation, as it…

Is it possible to design a spacious family MPV that also offers the driver the sensation of being in a comfortable, dynamic saloon? Peugeot designers claim to achieve just that with the 5008 presented at Frankfurt, and describe their creation as “an original interpretation of a compact people carrier, where dynamic exterior styling combines harmoniously with a large interior capacity”. In spite of the car’s tall architecture, the ergonomics of the driving position are very close to those of a sophisticated saloon. Contributing to this impression is the near-vertical steering wheel (with the same rake as the 308 hatchback) and the car’s very aerodynamic shape (with a Cd of 0.29, a remarkable achievement for an MPV), which is evocative of fluidity and driveability, and the new Peugeot is indeed a…

The Los Angeles Design Challenge is a competition for designers, which transports both participants and spectators into a fantasy dimension ruled by artistic talent and imagination, where there is no economic crisis and there are no design constraints or rules to be observed other than to draw inspiration from the brief. It is like a playground giving professional designers from the Californian style centres of the major carmakers the chance to escape the confines of rationality and coherence to create original, courageous forms projected into a more or less distant future, almost as if they were young, imaginative students once again, filled with dreams and unburdened by responsibility. The title of this year’s edition was “Youthmobile 2030”, prompting designers to conceive specific proposals for young users aged between 16 and…

The needs of the design world are changing, so isn’t it time that the teaching methods for tomorrow’s designers also evolved? The Istituto d’Arte Applicata (Institute of Applied Art) in Turin and the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche (Higher Institute of the Creative Industries) in Florence have joined forces to create a new three year course dedicated to “Designing sustainable mobility and transport vehicles”, which begins the forthcoming academic year. The course will focus primarily on research and innovation, using experimentation as a key tool for learning. Alongside the presentation of this new academic initiative was an exhibition of the thesis projects produced by the final year students of the Turin institute in collaboration with Renault and Yamaha. The project for the French carmaker entitled “Renault 2020 - reaction…

The technological object is one of the most important themes of contemporary design. Just think of the many devices we use today in which innovative technology plays an increasingly predominant role, which have even brought about changes in our behaviour. While on the one hand, critics of technology are actively favouring more traditional products with stripped down functions, on the other, research, numerous manufacturers and the market itself are focusing increasingly on the development and production of technological objects intended to improve our performance in everyday circumstances and even assist users with disabilities. Each year, the Well-tech observatory body seeks out and reviews hundreds of products from all over the world, many of which featuring innovative technology to promote environmental sustainability and to improve accessibility and the quality of life.…

Fiat has responded to the demand for vehicles offering freedom and off-road ability in the compact segment with two practical and visually appealing proposals: the new Sedici and Qubo Trekking. The Sedici features revised styling, especially at the front, which is now more in keeping with Fiat’s new family look inaugurated with the Grande Punto and Bravo. In short, this translates to a wider grille, more protective bumpers with integrated fog lights and new 16” alloy rims. Inside are an instrument panel with central screen, backlit controls on the steering wheel and new fabric upholstery choices. Two engines are available, both of which Euro5 compliant: a 1.6 litre, 120 bhp petrol and a 2.0 litre, 135 bhp Multijet diesel. Two transmission choices are also offered: 4x2 front wheel drive or…